MAYWOOD, IL - A first-of-its kind study has demonstrated that an artificial intelligence technique can be used to identify trauma patients who misuse alcohol.

Researchers from Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago used the technique, natural language processing, to identify alcohol misusers from clinician notes in electronic health records.

In 78 percent of cases, the technique was able to differentiate between patients who misused alcohol and those who did not. Corresponding author Majid Afshar, MD, MSCR, and colleagues published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Dr. Afshar, a Loyola Medicine critical care physician, is an assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Department of Public Health Sciences of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

The study was a cross-campus collaboration that included researchers from Loyola's Burn and Shock Trauma Research Institute, Center for Health Outcomes and Informatics Research, Department of Public Health Sciences, Department of Computer Science, Department of Medicine and Department of Surgery.

As many as 1 in 3 trauma patients misuse alcohol, and many trauma cases are alcohol related. Previous research has shown that a traumatic injury provides an opportunity for a teachable moment. Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) can reduce subsequent alcohol consumption, decrease injury recurrence by nearly 50 percent and reduce rates of DUI arrests.

The brief intervention typically includes providing information on the link between drinking and injury, encouraging patients to think about how drinking may have contributed to their injuries and giving professional advice about the need to reduce risk by cutting down or quitting drinking.

Current screening methods employ the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). But there are drawbacks to this screening test. Patients may not be honest when answering questions about their alcohol use or may not be able to communicate at all. Staff may not be available to administer the test, especially during nights and weekends. In addition, screening is a "resource-intensive process that imposes significant costs on a health system," Dr. Afshar and colleagues wrote.

Using artificial intelligence to screen for alcohol misusers potentially could overcome these problems. To test this idea, researchers sifted through electronic health records using natural language processing and machine learning. The artificial intelligence technique employs computational methods that help computers understand human language.

The artificial intelligence technique likely would be affordable to trauma centers that have the expertise to use it, Dr. Afshar said. He noted that the open-source programming and linguistics software used by researchers would be free to any user.

The study is titled "Natural language processing and machine learning to identify alcohol misuse from the electronic health record in trauma patients: development and internal validation."

Loyola University Health System

Related Alcohol Articles:

This is your brain on alcohol (video)It's almost time to ring in 2017. And since most New Year's celebrations include alcohol, Reactions' latest episode explains the chemistry behind its effects -- drunkenness, frequent bathroom breaks and occasionally poor decision-making.

Alcohol aromatherapy eases nausea in the ERNauseated patients in the emergency department who sniffed pads saturated with isopropyl alcohol were twice as likely to obtain relief from their symptoms as nauseated patients who sniffed pads saturated with saline solution, according to a study published online today in Annals of Emergency Medicine ('Isopropyl Alcohol Nasal Inhalation for Nausea in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial').

Best Science Podcasts 2019

AnthropomorphicDo animals grieve? Do they have language or consciousness? For a long time, scientists resisted the urge to look for human qualities in animals. This hour, TED speakers explore how that is changing. Guests include biological anthropologist Barbara King, dolphin researcher Denise Herzing, primatologist Frans de Waal, and ecologist Carl Safina.

#534 Bacteria are Coming for Your OJWhat makes breakfast, breakfast? Well, according to every movie and TV show we've ever seen, a big glass of orange juice is basically required. But our morning grapefruit might be in danger. Why? Citrus greening, a bacteria carried by a bug, has infected 90% of the citrus groves in Florida. It's coming for your OJ. We'll talk with University of Maryland plant virologist Anne Simon about ways to stop the citrus killer, and with science writer and journalist Maryn McKenna about why throwing antibiotics at the problem is probably not the solution. Related links: A Review of the Citrus Greening...